Category: Articles, Computer/Internet, e-Discovery, Resources for Attorneys, Resources for Experts The Flaws of Using Search Methods in E-discovery Whitepaper TASA ID: 1793 Introduction The document review industry has used search methods for various purposes. The use of search methods have been validated by using flawed validation methods. I could show the validation methods that have been used are flawed due to the interference of networked-based distributed review models on performance, reviewer qualification mismatches, using tag counts in validation methods, and the misuse of statistical methods. Statistical methods, which always involve using small probability theory to address low-frequency high-risk problems, are sufficient to make most search results invalid. The flaw in using statistical methods in litigation is similar to using the small probability theory to address risks in the aviation industry which would lead to hull losses. I conduct a brief analysis of two well known key search methods which have been used widely to generate document pools for human review. Read more
Category: Articles, Computer/Internet, e-Discovery, Resources for Attorneys Information: The Next Natural Resource TASA ID: 1335 ABSTRACTI’ve spent my career looking at how large quantities of complex information affects every part of our lives and this is the most exciting time to be doing that. Information affects finances. Information affects your health. It affects the life choices presented to you. It cannot be overstated how important the accumulation of enormous sums of detailed data about all of us and every aspect of business is.Ten years ago, who would have imagined that so much of the planet would be photographed, and those photographs made widely available, as in Google Earth? Or, who would have imagined that we would be so willing to share large amounts of personal information through public and quasi-public outlets like Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare?How much data are we talking about? The earth generated about four zettabytes of digital data in 2013. IDC forecasts that we will generate 40 zettabytes (ZB) by 2020. Now, all that data isn’t used, but increasingly, more of it is. And it’s not just stored once. Data with value is branched off into numerous databases across multiple companies. In only the last few years, as much data has been generated as had previously ever existed. Read more
Category: Articles, Computer/Internet, Crime Investigation, Handwriting Examination, Medical & Healthcare, Resources for Attorneys, Resources for Experts, Security, Toxicology “Who Wrote That Email?” Forensic Authorship Attribution and Stylometry TASA ID: 3949 Some cases hinge on the authorship of a document. Whether we want to know about the author of a defamatory email, the source of a ransom note, or the authenticity of a will, one of the most important pieces of evidence is the one that establishes who wrote it. Historically, most documents were handwritten and handwriting experts (today they go by the title “forensic document examiners”) could determine who wrote something from the slant of an f or the height of a t. Even with typewritten documents, they could notice a chipped p or an out-of-line c and identify the specific typewriter that created the document. Physical creation also produces physical variance. Read more
Category: Computer/Internet Ransomware Hits Apple Mac Computers TASA ID: 4285 Traditionally, users think ransomware and other malware are relegated to Windows-based computers, but the overwhelming adoption of other devices (Apple Macs, iOS mobile devices, Android, etc.) has increased the payoff for cyber criminals to spend effort attempting to infect these systems. Read more
Category: Computer/Internet, e-Discovery Local Bar Associations Getting on Board with Social Media TASA ID: 4285 Look no further than your local bar to realize that ignorance is no longer an excuse for not appropriately dealing with social media issues for yourself or your clients. With the Philadelphia Bar Association’s guidance, released this summer, that excuse will certainly no longer apply to attorneys in the City of Brotherly Love. Read more
